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The site of the terror attack in East Jerusalem in which two people were killed and five others were injured, on Friday.Credit: Emil Salman Published by Haaretz

Hussein Qaraqe (left). Credit: Facebook Published by Haaretz
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'I'm sorry for what happened. It's a tragedy, but it's not a terror attack,' a relative said. Two people including a 6-year-old child, were killed in the car ramming attack in East Jerusalem. Five others are injured

by Jack Khoury, Hagar Shezaf, Nir Hasson, Jonathan Lis, and Ran Shimoni for Haaretz
Feb 10, 2023 11:13 pm IST

The Palestinian terrorist who rammed a vehicle into a bus station in East Jerusalem on Friday and killed two people, including a 6-year-old, was released from a psychiatric ward a day earlier, his family says. He was shot dead by Israeli forces at the scene.

Hussein Qaraqe, a 31-year-old a father of three, has lived with his family in a rented apartment in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Isawiyah for the past five years. Hours after the attack, Israeli forces entered the neighborhood and arrested 10 of his family members, including his brother and wife, who were taken for investigation. Eyewitnesses say the raid was followed by clashes in which residents hurled stones and security forces responded with tear gas and smoke grenades.

Qaraqe's relatives told Haaretz that he was released from a psychiatric ward a day before the attack. "I'm sorry for what happened. It's a tragedy, but it's not a terror attack," one relative said. He said that six years ago, Qaraqe fell from a crane while working and was seriously injured and consequently developed a mental illness.

"He used to take strong medicine. The last time I saw him was four months ago while he sat in the dark, as if he drank four bottles of whiskey [or was] high, but he doesn't drink -it's from the medicine," the relative said, adding that Qaraqe was rejected from jobs, didn't have any friends and always sat at home. "He never talked about politics, he wouldn't even listen to the news. I can assure you a million percent that it wasn't a terror attack."

Qaraqe was convicted 12 times for driving offenses, including driving while disqualified and threatening a police officer. When he was convicted in 2013 for the last time, he was sentenced to five months of community service. "I went through a wrongful time, but I repented. I understand the mistake and I'm asking for a chance," he said at the time.

In 2014, he was accused of assaulting a worker at a Tel Aviv beach after he complained to Qaraqe that he and his friend were using beach chairs without paying for them.

One six-year-old child and one 20-year-old were killed and several pedestrians were injured, including an 8-year-old who is in critical condition, when Qaraqe rammed into a bus stop in the Ramot neighborhood on Friday.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered to seal off Qaraqe's house in retaliation but state legal advisers will discuss the move on Sunday in light of the fact that he lived in a rented apartment that did not belong to him.

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